PHEC Awarded Center • 2026
Center for Migration and Labour Affairs
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad | Department of Rural Sociology
Introduction
Addressing Pakistan's Most Pressing Migration Challenges
The Centre for Migration and Labour Affairs (CMLA) is established to address one of the most critical challenges of our era — migration. A growing number of Pakistani youth are increasingly disinclined to remain in rural areas or within the country, driven by a complex interplay of socio-economic, environmental, and political factors.
Migration in Pakistan is driven by economic challenges like high inflation, unemployment, low wages, and rural-urban income gaps, alongside environmental factors such as climate-induced displacement and political instability. These combined pressures push especially the youth to seek better opportunities and safer living conditions elsewhere.
The CMLA is crucial to generate evidence-based insights, inform policy, and develop sustainable solutions that address these complex migration drivers and their impacts on labour markets and social well-being.
Our Vision
To emerge as a leading center for research and policy innovation in migration and labour affairs, advancing resilient communities and decent livelihoods.
Our Mission
Evolve the Center into a multidimensional, multifaceted policy research hub of Pakistan, engaging universities, researchers, and stakeholders in crucial migration and labour affairs areas and prescribing implementation mechanisms.
Network
Lead & Partner Universities
Collaborative academic network driving the Center for Migration and Labour Affairs
Leadership message
Message from Chairman PHEC
Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan is a distinguished Pakistani academic, agricultural scientist, and former Vice Chancellor of University of Agriculture Faisalabad. He has also served as Chairman of the Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC), where he played a key role in strengthening higher education governance, promoting research culture, and improving academic quality across universities in Punjab. He is widely recognized for his contributions to agricultural innovation, higher education reforms, and institutional development in Pakistan. Under his leadership, several initiatives were launched to enhance research productivity, faculty development, and international collaboration in academia
Leadership message
Message from Vice Chancellor UAF
It gives me great pleasure to introduce the Migration and Labour Affairs Center at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), an initiative that reflects our commitment to addressing some of the most pressing socio-economic challenges of our time. Migration and labour dynamics are critical forces shaping livelihoods, rural transformation, and global development. In a country like Pakistan, where internal and international migration significantly influence economic resilience and social structures, there is a growing need for evidence-based research, informed policy dialogue, and capacity building in this domain. The establishment of this Center represents a strategic step towards fostering interdisciplinary research and collaboration. It aims to generate knowledge, support policy formulation, and provide practical solutions to issues related to labour mobility, decent work, remittances, gender dimensions of migration, and rural-urban linkages. At UAF, we strongly believe in connecting academia with real-world challenges. This Center will serve as a dynamic platform for researchers, policymakers, development practitioners, and international partners to collaborate in developing sustainable and inclusive solutions. I am confident that the Migration and Labour Affairs Center will emerge as a leading hub of excellence, contributing not only to national development but also to the global discourse on migration and labour issues, and helping shape a more inclusive and resilient future.
Leadership message
Message from Chairman PI LEAD
Dr. Sadaf Mahmood is an Associate Professor and Chairperson at the Department of Rural Sociology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad. She is a Germany-trained scholar with a Ph.D. in Sociology, specializing in international migration and development. Her research primarily focuses on migration, labour mobility, and the socio-economic integration of migrants, particularly Pakistani immigrants in Europe. She has contributed significantly to migration studies through international projects, publications, and academic collaborations, highlighting issues of gender, labour, and rural development in the context of global migration.
Core Objectives
Key Focus Areas
The CMLA aims to promote high-impact, interdisciplinary research and provide practical policy guidance on migration and labor dynamics, with a particular focus on youth and women.
Evidence-Based Research
Generate robust, interdisciplinary research on internal, regional, and international migration and labour affairs dynamics, including causes, trends, impacts, and solutions.
Climate and Mobility
Analyze linkages between climate change, environmental degradation, and human mobility, and develop evidence-based policy solutions that protect vulnerable populations.
Community Engagement
Launch community engagement campaigns, outreach activities, skills training, and capacity-building programs for safe, informed, and economically beneficial migration experiences.
Fair Labour Markets
Promote fair, ethical, and productive labour markets that fully recognize, protect, and integrate migrant workers, ensuring decent work and social justice.
Policy Innovation
Critically evaluate existing migration policies and develop actionable policy briefs and position papers that guide policymakers toward rights-based migration governance.
Research & Networking
Research linkages and networking, capacity building and outreach, publications and policy briefs to produce evidence, inform policy, and strengthen communities.
Research
Seven Research Clusters
Comprehensive research covering all aspects of migration and labour in Pakistan
Countering Migration Challenges, Promoting Decent Work, and Sustainable Development
Lead: University of Agriculture Faisalabad
Countering Irregular Migration and Promoting Regular Migration Through Skill Development
Lead: University of the Punjab
Safeguarding Migrant Workers: Research, Policy, and Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration
Lead: The Women University Multan
Migration & Socio-Economic Wellbeing in Southern Punjab
Lead: Ghazi University, D.G. Khan
Drivers, Dynamics, and Dilemmas of Irregular International Migration from Pakistan
Lead: University of Gujrat
Migration and Livelihood Transitions, Capacity Building, and Policy Engagement
Lead: Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan
Labour Rights and Legal Frameworks
Lead: University of Agriculture Faisalabad
Our People
Project Team
Led by UAF's Department of Rural Sociology in collaboration with five partner universities across Punjab.
Dr. Sadaf Mahmood
Associate Professor & Chairperson, Rural Sociology
P-I / Lead Scientist
Dr. Naveed Farah
Associate Professor, Department of Rural Sociology
Dr. Muhammad Idrees
Assistant Professor, Member
Dr. Muhammad Atif
Assistant Professor, Member
Dr. Madieha Naz
Assistant Professor, Member
Proposed
Proposed Outcomes & Impact
Creating tangible change through research-driven interventions
Policy Influence
- Development of evidence-based migration policies
- Integration of research findings into national frameworks
- Improved labor market regulations and protections
Knowledge Generation
- Publication of high-quality research papers
- Creation of comprehensive migration databases
- Training and capacity building for researchers
Community Impact
- Improved services for migrant workers
- Enhanced protection mechanisms
- Greater awareness of migration dynamics
Contact
Get in Touch
Creating tangible change through research-driven interventions
